


All My Bells Are Ringing

by dorkpatroller



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Android AU, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Modern AU, Robot AU, not chobits, parent-child bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 20:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17290553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorkpatroller/pseuds/dorkpatroller
Summary: When she finds an odd photograph in her daughter's bedroom, Felicia uncovers the story of how they met. The real story, this time. The story of an overly ambitious man who thought he could rebuild a broken android, and who managed to find something far better than a house maid.





	1. How It All Began

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift I wrote for @birbmeow for Christmas. It's adorable, and she was willing to let me upload it to share! I hope you enjoy it!

As she rounds the corner in the hall, Felicia has a half empty basket of dirty laundry perched on her hip. She comes to a stop in front of a white door with pink and green glittery butterflies painted on it. There’s a do-not-enter sign hanging on the doorknob, but that’s always there and Felicia politely chooses to ignore it. She turns the knob and peeks inside. 

 

The light is off but she flicks it on and then she breathes out a long sigh. "That girl…" She mutters. There are clothes all over the floor, the bed isn't made up, her school work is scattered across the room. Of course, staring at it in horror won't change anything, so Felicia settles the basket on the floor and starts picking up clothes to toss into it. She makes a grab for a pair of socks discarded by the edge of the bed and as she does she notices a notebook sticking out from under it. 

 

“Oh,” She says to herself. She picks up the journal as well as the socks. She drops the socks off in the basket, and then on the way to Nina’s desk, where she lays the notebook down. Her desk is a mess, and so are most of her belongings, but Felicia wouldn’t do anything to upset that. She wouldn’t snoop without permission either. 

 

Behind her desk, she has a big cork board. It's covered in ribbons and cute phone charms and pictures of herself with her friends and family. There's a picture of her as a little girl riding on Niles's shoulders, and a few selfies with him. There's even a picture of Niles in his letterman's jacket back when he was in high school. Then, there tucked in the back, there's a photo that Felicia doesn't recognize. She reaches out and moves a couple of other photos off from the top of it… and as she pulls it off the board to admire it she lets out a soft "Huh." 

 

The photo is of Nina and Niles… and Felicia. Considering she keeps pictures of friends and family here, that shouldn’t seem out of the ordinary, but this one is. Niles and Nina are situated on the couch with Christmas lights strung up around the house and thick, colorful sweaters on. Nina has her tongue sticking out, and Niles looks  _ exhausted _ . More tired than Felicia has seen him in a long while. Felicia is the odd part of the photo, though. She’s--

 

“Mom? What are you doing in here?” Felicia spins around to face Nina with a tiny gasp. 

 

“You scared me,” 

 

“ _ Mom!” _ Nina puts her hands in fists at her side and she stomps closer, but just before she pounces Felicia shakes her head slowly. She turns the photo around and Nina stops walking and just looks confused. 

 

“Honey calm down, I was just picking up your room. I noticed this as I was putting your journal away. What is this? I don’t remember this. Why am I… in the corner like that?” 

 

Nina deflates. She takes the photo to look at and a sweet smile comes over her lips. “This is just from the month we met you, that’s all.” 

 

Well, that doesn't make a lick of sense. Felicia reaches out and tucks some of Nina's bangs behind her ear. "You met me in July, honey." 

 

“No, no. Uh, we met you last Christmas. It’s kind of a long story,” Nina says. Felicia arches up her brow and Nina gently pulls on her mother’s hand to guide her to the bed. Once they’re both sitting there on the edge of it, Nina hands the photo back to Felicia. “Ooookay then! Well, I guess it all started when Dad brought you home…” 

 

**⊱** **────── {** **⋅** **.** **✯** **.** **⋅** **} ──────** **⊰**

 

Niles turns the key to shut off the ignition and he glances to the passenger seat. This android is a mess. She’s dirty, her hair is matted, and--of course--she’s broken. He tries not to make a noise like an old man as he gets out of his seat and walks around to open the passenger side door. As he scoops her up in his arms he tucks his phone against his cheek and shoulder. She’s not all that heavy, not really, but she’s a dead weight right now in the shape of a woman. 

 

_ “Dad? Why are you calling me, didn’t I just hear your junky car?”  _

 

“Yeah,” Niles grunts despite himself. He pulls the android up into his arms and makes his way up the little drive to his house. “Open the door for me.” 

 

_ “Ew, are you panting?”  _

 

Niles manages to get up the three stairs of the porch without any accident, and even more thankfully without his neighbors noticing. The last thing he really needs is more gossip in the neighborhood. The door opens up and the moment Nina pops out her head he huffs. “Take this phone for me before I drop it.” 

 

“Is that a  _ person?!”  _ Nina asks. 

 

“Phone, Nina,” Niles grunts. 

 

“ _ Dad!”  _ Nina shouts. She does reach out and take his phone for him, and after that Niles pushes his way past her.

 

"I heard you, now move so I can get her inside." 

 

It’s only a matter of seconds before he’s got her settled on the couch, laid out like she’s resting. He stands back up and rolls out his shoulders, and Nina follows behind cautiously. “Okay,” she says softly, “Okay, okay, Dad, are you going to tell me why there’s a dead lady in our house?” 

 

Niles perches his hands on his hips. He is way too old for this nonsense. He takes a deep breath to calm his heart rate. “She’s not dead, she’s an android.” 

 

“ _ What?! _ Those are like  _ thousands  _ of dollars. How did you get one?” 

 

Funny how it’s more likely for Niles to bring home a dead woman than a robot. He rolls his eyes. “She’s not functional.” 

 

Nina passes Niles back his phone and then she drapes herself over the back of the couch to poke at the android’s cheek. “So what does that have to do with anything?” 

 

“Well, it means that we couldn’t fix her within reasonable time constraints at work, and so they were going to scrap her for parts anyway, so I bought her for $500.” Niles sits down on the coffee table and looks her over again. Even in disrepair and beat up, it’s practically stealing to get her that cheap. 

 

He does it for a living. Repairs these androids, that is. He's been doing it for years. They could have repaired this one too, he's sure of it, but the newer model of her design is already being prototyped… so there's no point in crying over spilled milk. Not all androids can be refurbished. 

 

Or at least not according to the company, but Niles has every intention of getting her up and running. These things are amazing. They help out with chores, run errands, watch your kids… what’s not to want? They don’t even burn fuel or anything crazy, and as long as the battery is on and the computer is functioning they regulate their own battery without a charging cord. 

 

"She's kind of banged up." Nina mumbles. She points to a scrape in her skin. Her skin is soft and made of a hybrid material containing mostly silicone and gel. It's remarkable stuff— self-healing. The wounds she has will clear up on their own, and he can brush out her hair. He raised a daughter—he thinks he can manage a hairbrush. "Can you even give her a bath?"

 

Niles would roll his eyes if he didn't think it was a genuine question. "Do you think we make fifteen thousand dollar androids and don't make them waterproof? She could canon-ball into a pool and be just fine. When she's up and running she'll be able to shower, too. In fact, they should--it keeps their skin and hair clear of debris." 

 

“Okay…” Nina says, “but she’s broken. So she can’t shower.” 

 

“Right,” Niles looks at the android on the couch again. Nina makes a fine point. He groans and picks her back up to carry into the tub to wash her off. He is way, way too old for this. When he sets her in the tub her hair just kind of goes everywhere. It’s nearly down to her thighs, long and thick and pale blonde. “Help me with her shirt, okay?” He asks. 

 

Nina shrugs her shoulders and reaches out to start unbuttoning the back of her shirt to pull it off. Between the two of them, they get the android undressed and he starts running warm water into the tub. Nina sits down on the side of the tub and watches while Niles pulls the shampoo and conditioner bottles down. 

 

“Are you sure she’s an android? She looks like a regular naked lady,” Nina says. 

 

Niles gets to work on pouring water over her hair. It's kind of nostalgic; he hasn't washed anyone's hair like this since Nina was little. Of course, she's sixteen now. She doesn't need him to wash her hair. "I'm 100% sure, kiddo."

 

“Yeah? Then why does she need nipples?” 

 

There's just a small part of his brain that short circuits. He looks from Nina to the android's nipples, and then back. He opens his mouth to tell her that it's just a design element to make her look human. Instead, Nina interrupts him.

 

"Does she have," Nina leans over the tub to look at her better. "I mean, wait. Okay, does--can she--if someone wanted to--" 

 

“Nope.” Niles dips his fingers in the water and flicks some at her. “Nina, she’s an android. She’s not capable of  _ any _ of the things you’re about to ask about.” 

 

“But why does she  _ have _ the parts, then?” 

 

"She's made to look and act human, and be a companion, but she's not. She's just a robot--not any more human than your cell phone. And you can't anyway. I know all of this  _ looks _ real, but it doesn’t…” 

 

“Open?” 

 

Niles sighs. "Sure." He goes back to washing the android's hair, working shampoo through it. Nina picks up a clump of hair and helps, but she wrinkles her nose. "The hair is real," He says before she can bother asking. "Sewn into the skin cap on her head. It doesn't grow, so don't go cutting it."

 

“Weird. So she’s almost like a giant voodoo doll.” 

 

Wait, what? For a few seconds, time is frozen, and Niles just tries to process that. Is she even wrong? He shakes his head free of those absurd thoughts and just tries to finish washing her hair. 

 

…

 

Time passes dreadfully slowly and Niles can't seem to get this stupid computer working. At least she looks nicer, now. She's situated on the floor with her back propped against the couch and he's got his knees on either side of her shoulders while he works. Lately, he just dresses her in a pair of his boxers tied off with a rubber band to make them stay up and an old t-shirt of his from a team building event at work ten years ago. Her hair is tied up into the messiest, most obscurely uneven bun anyone ever saw… but he needs to keep it off her neck so he can work on it. 

 

Nina seems to tolerate it  _ okay _ . She mumbles about how weird this is now and then, but she hasn’t openly opposed it too much, yet. She’s situated next to him, watching tv, but she glances down and says “are you cutting her neck open?”

 

“Yes. I’m trying to replace some of the bits in her hard drives.” 

 

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” Nina asks. Niles looks back up at her and raises his brow. 

 

“Nina I… program these robots for a living. How do you think I pay for this house?” 

 

Nina snorts. “Yeah! But Dad, you just cut her neck open.” 

 

“It’s self-healing. When I put the skin patch back into place it will heal up like it never happened.” 

 

Nina leans over and watches him cut out the square in her skin so he can access the screws underneath. “Is it human skin?” 

 

“You know it’s just silicone.” 

 

“Your hobby is really freaky. So how come you named her Felicia? I mean, I guess it’s cute, but you could have asked my opinion. She might make a cute Bethany or Maddison.” 

 

Niles points down to a barcode that's front and center on the panel he's working on. Beneath it, her model number is displayed. Fc11c1-a. "I just named her after the model." 

 

“Oh. Well… okay. But does that mean there are other robots with this model number? Will they all look like her?” 

 

Niles could honestly use some quiet so he isn't quite as distracted… but he humors his daughter. He kind of likes that she's spending more time with him anyway, even if she's just curious about their robot roommate. "There are generally a few variations in hair or skin color on each model, and sometimes in the bone or facial structure. Some models have freckles. This one is blonde so her hair can be colored."

 

Nina sucks in a gasp. “WHAT? Let’s color it!” 

 

“Wh...What? Why?” 

 

“Well because we can’t have the same broken robot that everyone else has. I want our broken robot to be special. I think pink. I’m dying her hair pink.” 

 

“Pink? Is that so?” 

 

“Yeah. I think I’m cutting it too. Maybe styling it. She deserves a makeover, you know?” 

 

“Nina…” Niles doesn’t think that’s a good idea. “I told you, her hair won’t grow back. What if you screw it up?” 

 

“I’ll stop making fun of you for your robot girlfriend if you let me.” 

 

“Tantalizing offer,” Niles rolls his eyes. “Okay, fine. Just don’t cut it  _ too _ short." He's barely even finished the sentence before Nina books it out of the house to go buy hair dye and scissors to cut her hair with. The peace and quiet are nice. Niles gets some parts replaced… but he's still not getting her to turn on, so he goes to bed. When he gets up the next morning, Felicia isn't blonde anymore. In fact, Nina cut her hair so she has these adorable, straight across bangs and she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail on top of her head. The color is this soft, pastel pink… and it is noticeably shorter, but still quite long.

 

She’s pretty cute. Nina is already up and tying a black bow around the ponytail in Felicia’s hair. “Hey! Dad, what do you think?”

 

“You know what kiddo? She looks cute. Maybe now that she looks so good she’ll start working, huh?” 

 

…

 

A week before Christmas has Niles frustrated. She’s still not working, and Niles is starting to believe he spent $500 on a piece of trash. Of course, every time he thinks that he reminds himself that he can do this. He can fix her. He just has to give her the right parts. Right? 

 

A week before Christmas she finally turns on. The power button on these androids isn't easy to get to. It's tucked inside their ears, and they've got to be pressed with a q-tip or a slim ink pen. They're made that way on purpose, with a design that prevents accidental shut down. He's all but given up hope, but this time when he presses the button in Felicia jolts and Niles jumps out of his skin because it startled him. 

 

Then he realized it  _ worked _ . “Nina!” He shouts down the hall. “It worked!” He can hear Nina rushing down the hall to see them. She comes to a stop beside him and together they watch Felicia open her eyelids. Her eyes are the primary cameras she uses to view her surroundings, but they’re also a window into how she’s functioning. Her irises are currently programmed to be a soft shade of blue, and right now they’re spinning in a slow circle while she boots up. 

 

“Woah,” Nina says. She knocks her arm into her dad’s. “You actually did it. I thought you were just wasting time on a trash heap.” 

 

"Maybe you should have more faith in your old man," Niles says. He falls quiet as Felicia stands up from the spot on the sofa she was situated on… and she wobbles. That's not normal. She falls over into the coffee table after that. Hard. The table splinters and Felicia rolls around in the pieces.

 

Nina shrieks and Niles yanks her behind him by her wrist. For a few seconds, it actually looks like Felicia is having a seizure… but then a moment later the light leaves her eyes and she powers back down. As soon as she does Nina's shock is replaced by a fit of laughter. "Oh shit, dad. She broke the table!" 

 

“Watch your fucking mouth,” Niles huffs. He crouches down and scoops Felicia up to sit back up on the couch. From there he starts picking splinters out of her hair. “I can fix her.” 

 

The day before Christmas brings the realization that he can’t fix her right  _ now _ . Something just isn't working right, and he can't seem to get her up and running. So he sets her down on a stool back in the corner, because he just needs to take his eyes off of computer parts for a little while. Imagine his surprise when, the following morning, he comes down the stairs to find Nina not opening her gifts… but wrapping a string of Christmas Lights around Felicia. She's all lit up like a tree, and she's got a piece of mistletoe in her hair. 

 

“What… is this?” Niles asks. 

 

“Dad! You’re up! About time--I don’t think beauty sleep can save you anymore. Anyway, let’s take a Christmas photo!” 

 

“With an android-tree?” Niles asks, skeptically. 

 

“Yeah, duh. Come on, it’ll be funny someday!” 

 

So, of course, they do. 


	2. The Way He Wanted Her To Be

The most annoying thing about all of this is that Niles is  _ good _ at what he does. He spent the early part of his career working as a hacker for law enforcement before he started taking an interest in programming these androids. He initially thought he would take that knowledge to invent some kind of almighty super hacker robot, but he isn’t stupid. No one needs an army of robots--all those sci-fi movies about them taking over the world make a fair point. 

 

Artificial intelligence isn't illegal on its own. Your phone, your household appliances, a lot of them are allowed to reasonably have an AI. They're meant to learn your habits to make your daily life easier. It's not an issue. AI becomes illegal when it's put into any humanoid object. An android, for example. An android with an AI is exactly what would cause the end of the world sort of things that people write movies about. 

 

He's just desperate is all. He's replaced just about everything he can imagine, sunk way more money than he wants to admit into this robot, and now… now he's putting the finishing touches on her new, AI-based operating system. That's the only thing he can think of. Everything else should be functioning perfectly, and he's just about sick of this. Nina is right--this is getting to be a waste of time. 

 

He tells himself that it won’t be a big deal. She’s not going to take over the world or try to become human, she’s just going to have a leg up while she learns to do household chores. It may not even work! But he replaces the skin patch on her back, puts a tape bandage over it so it will heal back into place, and he uses that q-tip to poke the power button in her ear one last time. 

 

She jolts to life, this time much faster. Her eyes spring open and her irises only spin for a brief second before she looks at him with perfectly human eyes and blinks and smiles. “Hello! I am your personal assistant. I can be utilized to do anything from housework and errands to tutoring children. In order to properly set up your personal assistant, please designate my name.” 

 

Her voice sounds mostly natural. It’s just a little bit robotic is all. “Your name is Felicia,” He breathes out, anxiously. She’s working! He’s so excited he could cry. He’s worked  _ tirelessly _ for this. He can hear Nina running down the hall, and she bumps into him to stare at the robot. She’s just there, standing on her feet all on her own, looking like she’s working just fine. 

 

“Felicia. Is this correct?” She echoes back at him. 

 

Niles nods his head. “Yeah,” He says.

 

“Woah,” Nina breathes out. Niles grins. 

 

He holds out his hands, puts them up gently. “Stay here,” He says to Felicia. And maybe Nina. He’s so excited he nearly runs to the kitchen and pulls a plate out of the cabinet. Just one plate, and it’s not even dirty, but he earned this. When he comes back he holds it out to Felicia. “Okay. Felicia, wash this plate.” 

 

Felicia’s hands are smaller than his, but they reach up and delicately wrap around the ceramic plate. He lets go and she holds it there for a moment. Nina grips the back of Niles’s shirt, and he wonders if she’s half as excited about this as he is. Felicia is silent a second longer… and then she swings her arms up and smashes the plate against her face. It smashes into several pieces that sprinkle down onto the floor. 

 

Niles’s face falls. Nina snorts, then she turns around and bursts out laughing. “Alright,” Niles grumbles. Nina laughs harder at the huffy tone of his voice. “Okay, okay, Nina go put on some shoes.” He bends down and picks up the larger pieces of the plate while Felicia stands there looking confused. 

 

She shouldn’t be  _ stupid _ by any means. He did replace her operating system with an empty learning software, sure, but she should still have basic intelligence. Hell, she introduced herself as someone who was capable of housework! 

 

Nina keeps laughing all the way down the hall, snorting, and sobbing and wiping away tears. At least  _ she _ thinks it’s funny. “Felicia, go stand where you won’t get glass in your feet,” He mumbles as an afterthought. She does walk away. 

 

She makes remarkably little improvement over the weekend, beyond just, you know, functioning and learning their names. It doesn’t make any sense to Niles at all, really. She’s got perfectly functioning access to the internet right now, and she should have all the tools necessary to clean. And it’s not like he  _ needs _ a maid, really, but he kind of earned it at this point. And he’s usually gone by the time Nina gets up and home after she gets off the bus--he could stand to have someone around to help her on days when she needs it. 

 

He almost doesn't notice her watching him. It startles him at first, but then he goes back to washing his own dishes because she's not capable, allegedly. Maybe she's just refusing--but that doesn't really make sense either. Androids aren't really meant to refuse orders that aren't dangerous. When he does notice her he just takes a moment to appreciate how she stands perfectly still. No movement at all, no sound, no breathing, no swaying. It's very apparent she's an android in that regard because the only movement she makes is an occasional blink--as she's programmed to do. 

 

He sets down a plate into the drying rack and she asks, “What is that?” She doesn’t really explain what she means but he can follow her line of sight back to the drying rack. 

 

He hums out a slow answer. “It lets the dishes air dry.” 

 

“Oh. I believe some studies show that dishes should be wiped dry with a towel to prevent streaking.” 

 

Niles is honestly dumbfounded. Is this really happening right now? His android who can't figure out how to wash a dish is trying to tell him the proper way to dry it? It's annoying is what it is. "Well, I only have two hands," he says. Felicia visibly hesitates. It's kind of weird because she's been so perfectly robotic until that moment, but maybe she'll offer to help dry the plates. She doesn't, though. She just walks away from the kitchen. 

 

…

 

“Are you done yet, Dad?” Nina asks. Niles has to admit, when she asks him to brush out her hair he tends to take his time. She’s getting too big for this, and it’s hard for him to think about. Someday she’ll never ask him to do this again, and he’ll wish he had taken more time working on french braids when she was little. 

 

But the answer is "Yes," he says. He ties off the end of a half-decent french braid and lets it fall down her back. She's just playing on her phone while he works, sitting on the floor where he can get to her hair from his seat on the sofa. Where they used to have a coffee table, actually. But before she can get free he wraps his arms around her shoulders and squeezes her in a little hug. Then he swoops his head around to kiss the side of her cheek and she nearly sprints to get away from him. 

 

"Bleck! Gross." She rubs her cheek, but she stops before she heads down the hall. "Thanks, dad. Goodnight." 

 

She’s only gone for a moment before Niles notices Felicia standing in the corner, watching. He frowns at her. “You don’t always have to stand,” He says to her. 

 

“I have a better view when I stand, usually,” Felicia says. 

 

“Ooookay,” Niles says. Then he goes on to ask “How is your hair? Have you been brushing it?” Niles watches Felicia lift up her hand to feel the back of her pink ponytail… and then she looks at him with a distinct uncertainty. “Do you want me to brush it?” 

 

He pats the spot on the floor where Nina was just sitting and Felicia watches him blankly until she decides to nod her head. She takes a seat where she was and Niles is just thankful that, for once, she's not sitting here to have her parts replaced. He plucks the ponytail holder out of her hair and it falls down in a sweet, pink wave over her shoulders. It's really not to bad. Probably because she hasn't been sleeping on it, if he had to guess, but it's odd to think she just sits up all night while they sleep. "This is probably good practice," he says, "Nina thinks I need to work on my technique." 

 

While he’s sitting like this, combing her hair, Felicia looks very soft. Breakable even. Her voice is very soft, too, when she asks “Nina is your daughter, isn’t she? Is that why you comb her hair?” 

 

“I comb her hair because I love her. She’s growing up too fast, someday she won’t need me anymore. I’ve got to make it last while I still can.” 

 

“I see,” Felicia says. Niles doesn’t think she really does. 

 

…

 

Nina points her spoon at Niles. “Anyway, my point is that she knows more today than she did last week. And I sure didn’t teach her. I think she’s finally figured out how to use the internet to understand stuff.” Nina is eating her bowl of cereal before she heads off to school, but she’s also complaining.

 

The AI thing freaks her out, Niles thinks. Nina loves to read and write, and a robot uprising is a surprisingly common subject in a country as booming as Nohr. They mass produce androids every day. 

 

“I just don’t get it, because it’s not like she’s learning the stuff you want her to. Just weird things. Like she told me a knock-knock joke the other day.” 

 

Niles chuckles. Nina is at the table with her backpack, ready to run out the door as soon as the bus pulls up. He’s got the morning off for a quick doctor’s appointment, so he’s still leaned up against the counter in his pajamas. He has his own cereal bowl in hand, and he listens to Nina’s concerns before he says “She’s just doing her best. She doesn’t have context yet. You can read an entire book about performing surgery, but you won’t really know what you’re doing until you’ve practiced it on a real body.” 

 

"That's a super weird analogy, Dad," Nina says. 

 

Felicia walks into the kitchen. She’s wearing a different shirt today, and that’s good. Once she started actually working, Niles went out and bought a few different things that would fit her model size alright. Now it seems she’s figuring out that she should change those clothes every day, and how to put them on herself. Maybe it’s not super necessary. She doesn’t sweat or really do anything that would soil the clothes, but it makes her feel more like a person. Like part of the family! Granted, she’s not a person and  _ not _ a part of the family, but… well, he probably knew when he put an AI into an android that it would learn to mimic human behaviors a little, right? 

 

Her jacket is on inside out, though. Niles set the cereal down on the counter and tries not to outright laugh when he notices.  “Come here,” he says, “Your jacket is on wrong.” He tugs on the end of it near her wrist and she turns in a gentle circle while he peels it off of her. She watches diligently while he flips it inside out and then he holds it out for her to slip her arms back through. “The tags go on the inside. Let’s see if you’re as hopeless as Leo. If anyone needs a  _ personal assistant _ to help him get dressed, it’s him.”

 

“Who is Leo?” Felicia asks. She dips her head to one side. That’s new--it’s not programmed into an android to do something as silly as express confusion. It doesn’t bother Niles too much. 

 

“He’s my best friend. You’ll meet him eventually.” 

 

“I will?”

 

“She will?” Nina echoes. She looks at Niles again skeptically and Niles quietly picks up his cereal again. 

 

“Why not? She’s ours now, and Leo does come over sometimes. Why wouldn’t she meet him?” 

 

Nina looks at him like she’s accusing him of something. Niles doesn’t know what it is, but she’s doing it.  _ That _ makes him uncomfortable. She’s his princess, but she has a wicked imagination. “Listen--” He starts to assure her that whatever is on her mind is wrong, but he stops talking in his tracks. 

 

Felicia lifts up her hand and delicately combs her fingers through his bangs. When she’s through she tucks them behind his ear so softly he’s hard pressed to say it actually even happened. She lowers her hand after that, and the whole motion is fluid and gentle and  _ casual. _ Shock is painted on Nina's face, but it must be there on Niles's too. Their eyes meet and his daughter softly mouths  _ ‘What?’  _ to him from her spot at the table. 

 

Niles clears his throat. Felicia smiles at him, sweet as sugarcane. “Thank you, Niles! And good morning. Can I get you anything for breakfast?” 

 

He holds up the bowl of cereal in his hands, just to show he’s already got breakfast covered. “I’m, uh, I’m good. I haven’t taught you how to cook yet, anyway.” 

 

Felicia’s lips curl down into a tiny frown. She’s not really supposed to have that strong of an opinion about cooking, but it turns right around. “Will you teach me, today?” 

 

“I… Yes. I’ll teach you a little bit when we have dinner, tonight.” It’s not like  _ she _ can eat, but he should be thankful that she’s finally taking an interest in one of the things her whole model line of androids is produced to do. The thing is when he says that her whole demeanor changes. She lights up in this really adorable way and it’s flustering. 

 

She’s adorable. That’s stupid. She’s an android. Nina’s bus can be heard coming down the street so she gets up and sets her bowl in the sink. “You’re blushing, Dad,” She says when she passes him.

 

No, he's not, but he doesn't appreciate the comment either way.

 

…

 

He's got a desk in his room. It's where he used to do his work before his work at home was primarily just a giant android project. Now it's where he's playing catch up on the work he should have been doing for two months. He's mostly working and slightly distracting himself with a cable channel. He startles when he realizes Felicia has stepped into his room. 

 

She just drapes a blanket over his shoulder. He turns his head to look at her, and she shrugs her shoulders and smiles happily. "It's chilly in here," She says as if she can actually feel the cold. She doesn't have feelings, after all. She just has sensors that tell her when something is hot or cold so she doesn't burn her skin. It's not any different than the way a thermostat works in a home. Her skin is only slightly warm to the touch because it's programmed that way, after all. 

 

Needless to say, that she thought about it at all is odd, and more so that she thought Niles would need a blanket. “Will you be up late?” She asks. 

 

“I--maybe,” Niles pulls the blanket around his shoulders tighter. “Why are you being so…” What’s the right word? Motherly? Wifey? Human? “Home-y, all of the sudden?” 

 

"O-Oh!" She stutters--which may be a programming error if it happens more than once, Niles thinks. "You told me that you take care of Nina because you love her. You take care of me, as well. When I did more research on it, I determined that is common behavior for a family unit. I'm just doing my best to emulate a family unit for you. Is this incorrect?" 

 

Huh. “What? No--well, no. You’re not wrong, it’s just… are you trying to emulate it because that’s what we want, or because it’s what  _ you _ want?” 

 

It's a trick question and the way that Felicia goes soft after that is proof that she knows it. Her voice falters and when she talks it sounds far more human than it did a second ago. Flawless. Her inflection, her tone, the smoothness of her words. She talks like she's been doing it her whole life like she was born and raised this way. "I'm not really supposed to have wants am I?" 

 

“Well…” 

 

“I’m not normal. I know that. You’ve given me something to make me different… a new part.” 

 

Niles doesn't know what to say. It only too her this long to be completely self-aware of her own AI? If that's the case, it could turn out to be more dangerous than he originally thought. But Felicia doesn't seem upset. She just shrugs her shoulders, which is a  _ completely _ human expression. Androids don’t have an ‘I don’t know’ function. Just yes, no, or I’ll find out. 

 

“Do you… have wants, Felicia?” He asks, hesitantly. 

 

"I don't… I-I don't know. I'm sorry! I'll correct this right away," she says. Her voice wavers back into a more robotic inflection and Niles raises his eyebrow at her. 

 

“Hey, hey. Don’t correct it. I want you to act and behave how  _ you _ want. Just be careful not to behave badly.” Don’t hurt anyone, specifically. Don’t cause a robot apocalypse by using Niles’s ID card to slip into the manufacturing company and downloading some kind of demon software into all the androids. “Don’t hurt anyone, alright?” 

 

Felicia smiles at him. “I would never!” She promises. Her cheeks flush a pretty shade of pink. That’s not… right. The red light under her facial cap is meant to be used to indicate a virus in the system. Androids don’t blush like humans. She shouldn’t be able to do that.

 

But she did, and she giggles at him and slips out the door. “I’ll be out here if you need anything!” she calls. 

 

Maybe this was a mistake?


	3. The way that She wanted to be

 

The next time Niles is alone in the kitchen washing dishes Felicia comes and joins him again. This time she doesn’t look at him like he’s confusing her, but she picks up a hand towel and smiles wide at him. “Would you like me to help you with the dishes, Niles?” She asks. 

 

Maybe he’s just slightly skeptical, considering what happened the first time he asked her to wash a dish, but that’s not very fair of him. Since that day she’s been working very hard to learn to cook, and she’s held dishes just fine. “Okay,” He says. “Do you know what to do?” 

 

She nods her head, but he demonstrates anyway. “You just want to get most of the water off, like this, alright? Then you can put it up in the cabinet where it goes.” 

 

“I think I can manage!” Felicia says enthusiastically. She takes the rag back from him and she hums softly while she works. Even that sounds perfectly human. After a few dishes are successfully dried, Niles speaks up.

 

“You’ve really mastered your voice, haven’t you? I can’t even tell it’s artificial.” It comes out of a speaker. She doesn’t have a voice box or any method of making the highs and lows or vibrations that people do, but she even moves her lips properly to form her vowels. 

 

She must take it to be a compliment. “Thank you! I thought if I spoke more like you and Nina do, it would make more… like you. That is, um, normal.” She looks excited! Maybe just proud. 

 

Maybe Niles is a little surprised. He told her she could do what she wanted and if practicing being normal is what she wants there's no reason to argue. It's just not very sound. She's an AI. She shouldn't want to be human, she should be trapped in a harmless console. That's a pretty textbook red flag. 

 

It’s not just her voice either. Every day Felicia looks more and more human to him. She makes noises that sound like breathing, she makes her chest rise and fall with the breaths. She talks more like a human than an android, and she’s such an expensive model that the only genuine giveaway that she isn’t human is the serial number she has tattooed on her ass. Chances are most people won’t see that either, considering she wears clothes. 

 

It's while he's quiet and thinking about this that she drops a plate. He snaps out of his thoughts when the sound of the shatter hits his ears, and at first, he thinks she must have run into another bug. Instead, she gasps--genuinely gasps! She didn't come with that audio file installed, that's for sure. 

 

Even now he has to constantly remind himself that she doesn't breathe because she's very good at faking it. Her face scrunches up in worry and shock, and she bends down to pick up the pieces. "Oh no! I-I'm so sorry! I'll clean this up, don't worry." 

 

She picks up the larger pieces and Niles crouches down to help her. Sort of. He mostly wants to get a good look at her eyes. She must notice him looking at her with her peripheral because she looks back up at him and it's almost as intimate as looking at another human in the eyes. He sets his hand on her shoulder to steady himself more than anything else.

 

Felicia looks exactly like she’s about to cry. Her eyes are rimmed just slightly red with that little blush trick she taught herself. They’re not glossy, she doesn’t produce tears, but they look round and worried and then she bites her lower lip and averts her eyes. 

 

“Are you alright?” Niles asks. 

 

“I’m fine,” Felicia says quietly. “I was clumsy is all. I’m so sorry, Niles. Wait,” She looks back at him and her voice just gets slightly robotic for a moment. Her irises spin in a gentle circle, and he can tell she’s currently searching around on the internet. “There are similar designs in stock at--” 

 

“Shh, shh,” Niles moves his hand from her shoulder to her cheek, where he brushes the pad of his thumb over her cheek ‘bone’. “It’s just one plate, we don’t need a replacement. Search for something more important for me, has any of the glass gotten into your skin?” 

 

The most wonderful, recent maintenance function that he's been able to program into androids is the ability to scan through their own body. The silicone skin is self-healing, so if a piece of glass was to get caught inside of it then it would likely seal around it. After that, the glass, metal, screw, whatever it may be could push its way through to the internal skeletal system of the android and cause damage. It's a  _ very _ common cause of damage in androids, and not easy to repair on a budget. 

 

As soon as he asks the questions Felicia’s irises rotate in slow circles for a moment, and then they return to their normal, sweet state. “There’s a shard in my left foot, but it hasn’t caused any damage,” she says dutifully. A breath later she gasps and pushes Niles back up into a standing position. “Niles! You’re barefoot! Go! Put on shoes--I’ll sweep this up. I’m so sorry!” 

 

The way she pushes him is adorable at least, and he finds himself chuckling and just submitting to  _ her _ order. He gets up to go put on shoes, but he makes a mental note to set her down and find that glass in her foot when he gets back. 

 


	4. The Way They Tried To Be

Midway through March Niles comes home to find Nina painting Felicia’s fingernails for her. There’s no reason not to, he supposes, but he still asks “What are you two doing?” 

 

“Giving her a manicure? Duh?” Nina rolls her eyes. “She likes it. Tell him you like it, Felicia.” 

 

Niles turns and glances at Felicia and she giggles softly. When she does her eyes close and her lashes swoop down to kiss her cheeks and she just looks so  _ human  _ it’s wild. Niles is honestly beginning to forget, now and then. “I think Nina is doing a wonderful job!” She says.

 

Niles shakes himself out of that thought process just so he can walk across the room and set down a plastic bag. It’s got a couple of movies in it that he picked up at the store, and he watches Nina cap the nail polish that she’s finished with and start to dig through it. Felicia turns her fingers around to face her mouth and she blows a gentle stream of air on them. That’s a function she  _ should _ have. Being able to blow air through a small fan located in the back of her throat is normal. It’s not breathing, and that fan doesn’t circulate air in. It’s meant for emergency ventilation if she’s overheating. Of course, she doesn’t do anything the way it’s meant to be done, and she’s using it just the way any normal woman would. She’s drying her nails with her lips pursed into a perfect little ‘o’. 

 

"I picked up a couple movies," Niles says while Nina digs them out of the bag. "I thought it might be a good night as any for a date night. We can order Chinese if you want," Niles says to her. Nina's face falls though, and Niles knows before she says anything he's about to be rejected. 

 

“No, Dad,” Nina says, “I have to go see Siegbert and Shiro tonight.” 

 

That does sound vaguely familiar. “Are you sure you don’t want to blow them off? You could hang out with your old man instead of daydreaming about your friends kissing.” 

 

_ “Daaaaaaad!  _ This isn’t  _ about _ that. We have a group project due next week. Can we have a dad-date tomorrow? Please?” 

 

He probably shouldn't interfere with her education, and all things considered, he does believe her when she says it's for studying. He's known Siegbert since he was a baby, he's Leo's nephew. He wouldn't lie to anyone about studying. He's too upstanding. (And, he supposes, he trusts his daughter too.) 

 

"Yeah," He croaks with a little smile. "We'll watch some movies and get Chinese tomorrow. When are you heading out, kiddo?" 

 

“Like, right now. I just didn’t want to leave Felicia alone,” Nina says. She gets up and bolts out of the room to get her stuff. He’s not… entirely sure what Nina thinks she needs to do for Felicia. She doesn’t need to take care of her, she’s not a child. 

 

Granted, when she first started functioning Felicia was a time bomb at best. She was always getting confused and unsure what her job or role was. Now she seems to have gotten into the swing of things. She sleeps in the spare bedroom and she has a list of chores she takes care of each day, beginning with laundry and ending with washing the dishes after dinner. She doesn’t always do the cooking but she seems to enjoy it, she watches cooking programs on TV and likes to try new things. As long as she stays within the grocery budget, Niles doesn’t mind trying new food. 

 

Nina is a picky eater, but he's surprised to see her eating things she used to hate, like onions and peppers and beans. Maybe she just hated Niles's cooking. He glances at Felicia and she's still on the couch. Her hand is still near her face but she's obviously not blowing on it anymore, she's just watching Niles. He clears his throat. "Do I have something on my face?" 

 

“You looks sad,” Felicia says. Then her face screws up and she apologizes. “I’m sorry! That was very blunt of me. What I meant is, you seem a little disappointed. Are you alright, Niles?” 

 

Niles doesn't get to answer. Nina runs back down the stairs with her backpack on her shoulder. She bends over the back of the couch to gently hug Felicia's shoulders, earning a little surprised "Oh!" and a giggle from the android. Then she rushes to kiss Niles on his cheek and sprints for the door. "Love you, dad! See ya, Felicia!" She calls, and then she vanishes. 

 

Niles doesn't mean to sigh as heavily as he does. Felicia resumes looking perfectly concerned for Niles, and Niles… shakes his head. "I'm alright," he says. 

 

He walks across the room to lock the door behind Nina and to straighten up the pile of shoes they’ve created by the front door. They have a perfectly good shoe rack, that is, but they never use it because they’re lazy. He often sees Felicia straightening it up, but this is a new mess and he wouldn’t want her to mess up her manicure. 

 

Felicia turns, and he knows she’s sitting on her knees now. She’s got her arms wrapped around the back of the couch and she dips her head just enough that her hair tumbles over her shoulder and her bangs fall past her eyes. “Would you like… for me to watch a movie with you?” 

 

Niles hesitates as he’s placing the last shoe on the rack. Then he glances back at Felicia and nods. “You know what? I’d like that a lot, actually.”

 

Felicia smiles brightly for him and reaches out for the bag of DVDs. She looks them over and frowns. "These are… old discs," She admits. 

 

Niles walks around sofa and sorts through the bag. “I know, they really are. I still have a DVD player, call me a geezer. You could probably fit all five of these DVDs onto one cartridge, but they’re kind of sentimental, you know?” He wanders over to the television and begins fiddling with the cords. “It’s why I won’t get a new TV. They don’t have these old HDMI ports built into them anymore, everything is wireless now.” 

 

“Which movie would you like to watch?” Felicia asks. 

 

"They're all pretty old, you can just draw one at random." Niles steps back to fiddle with a remote and changes the input on the television. While he does, Felicia picks up a movie and sets the rest aside. 

 

“This one is called  _ Lonely Hearts _ . Is that alright?” She asks. 

 

Niles snorts. "Yeah. You know, I've seen that one about a million times? My mom used to watch it with me when I was a kid. She forced me to sit on the couch with her and pass her tissues while she sniffled about how romantic it was. I hated every second of it, I just wanted to play on my phone and do something else. Anything else, really. After she had her heart attack I never really watched it again, and it's not the most sentimental thing I have of hers, but I saw it at the store and I thought… you know, why not?" 

 

“I didn’t know your mother passed away from a heart attack,” Felicia says. “I’m sorry, Niles. Are you sure it’s alright to watch this movie?” 

 

She probably is worried about him. His emotional state, his connection to the film. All the things a normal person would worry about, that would go right over an unemotional android’s head. He walks over and takes the DVD from her so that he can put it in the player. “It’ll be fine. It’s a sappy movie, though. Fair warning.” 

 

Felicia pushes some of her hair back behind her ear and she smiles all over again, reassured it seems. “What is it actually about? It’s a romance, I suppose?” 

 

“Yeah. They’re all romances--Nina is a sucker for romance movies. It’s how I bait her into watching them with me at all. You know, because I became my mother and I’m forcing my kid to sit around and watch movies with me.” He shrugs his shoulders. 

 

"I think Nina enjoys watching these movies with you. She told me the other day that she likes it when you hang out. Oh! But don't tell her I told you! She asked me not to mention it, I'm such a blabbermouth…" She blushes. Niles has a brief ping of pride. 

 

“Anyway,” Niles says, “So  _ Lonely Hearts _ is a movie about two people who take out ads in the lonely hearts section in the newspaper and then you know they meet and fall in love and all that sappy stuff.” 

 

“What is a… newspaper?” Felicia asks. Niles snorts out a laugh before he can stop himself, and then snickers again when he catches her face turning red.

 

“I guess they went out of print back when I was a kid. They were just printed news articles and advertisements. The companies are all still out there, but everything is digital now. Hey, why did you ask? Can’t you look that up? Is your data connection messed up?” 

 

Felicia blinks twice at him. "What? No, of course, it isn't. My connection is functional. I just prefer… that is, I enjoy learning. I would much rather hear you or Nina tell me about something than risk visiting an insecure web proxy." 

 

Oh. That’s cute, actually. And maybe even smart, because there are a lot of things she can safely learn without bothering with the depths of the internet. She learns most of her cooking and cleaning from them, or from television programs, so maybe it’s more efficient. 

 

When they finally settle in to watch the movie Niles relaxes back onto the couch. It only took about a month, but they finally replaced the coffee table with an ottoman. It’s convenient because it stores their remotes, belongings, extra blankets… and it’s soft when he uses it as a footrest. Felicia curls up into his side and he doesn’t protest, but he’s sure she picked that up from Nina. 

 

The movie takes a pretty standard pace. They meet up in person, hit it off, and fall fast an hard into each other's arms. Felicia seems to enjoy it enough to be quiet about it, but after the couple hooks up she suddenly gets a little squirmy. She sits up, even though her shoulder is still pressed into Niles's, and she just looks uncomfortable. 

 

“What’s wrong?” He asks. Felicia’s cheeks turn dark again. She may as well just leave that light on all the time for how often she finds herself flustered or blushing. (Niles shouldn’t admit he enjoys it when she blushes, but he does.) 

 

“I just… I’m not sure I understand kissing.” 

 

"Well, it's an entirely human interaction. Most other animals don't do it, so you probably wouldn't have to worry about understanding it." 

 

“But I want to! Really, Niles, I do. Nina talks about kissing all the time, and I never know what to say to her.” 

 

Niles’s brain clicks uncertainty. “Wait, what?” 

 

“Well she mentions which boys she likes, or there is one girl in her class too, or she talks about wanting to  _ see _ certain people kiss, and I just don’t understand the value. She acts like a first kiss is magical and important, and I don’t know what the best thing to say to her is.”

 

Well, at least Nina isn't just kissing people all over. "Kissing isn't magical, it's just a way that people express emotions. When you love someone you kiss them. I kiss Nina's head or her cheek, you've seen her do it to me too. People who are in love romantically kiss on the mouth. A first kiss isn't magic, it's just a first kiss." 

 

Felicia pouts. “They certainly made it seem magical in the movie,” She whispers. “You’ve kissed people before, haven’t you? What is it like? Maybe then I’ll know what I should tell Nina.” 

 

“Tell Nina to save her first kiss for marriage,” Niles mumbles. Then he sighs. The way she’s blushing and looking up at him is precious. She’s beautiful there, and her lips look soft and he could just  _ show her _ . But he’s not going to. She’s a robot, there’s no real point in it. She won’t feel it the way that a human would. She doesn’t have nerves. At best she’ll feel the body heat, or just her sensors will pick up that she’s being touched and send an alert to her. 

 

But he may as well humor her. “My first kiss was with a friend. We were kids, Nina’s age, and we thought maybe there was something more there. There wasn’t, and it was awkward. We didn’t talk to each other for three days and it’s been twenty years and we still haven’t talked about it. My first kiss with someone I  _ wanted _ to kiss was just a kiss. There weren't fireworks or shooting stars like Nina might make it out to be. It's just an attraction." 

 

“I see,” She says. “Then it seems like it’s best to wait until you find someone to kiss who makes you feel those fireworks…” 

 

Well no. What he meant is there won’t be fireworks. This isn’t a fantasy world where you meet your soulmate and your whole future flashes before your eyes the moment your lips meet. Maybe it’s best to just let her and Nina daydream. 

 

The movie goes on and the couple has a falling out. Felicia looks entirely captivated. She watches eagerly as they start to get back together, as one of them starts sending more and more personal ads to the paper. The whole city is reading that newspaper, and all of them are hoping for this couple to be reunited. It's broadcasted on the news as a romantic tragedy, and news anchors who have no context are asking this couple to find it in their hearts to reunite. If it was real life that woman would be pissed. She had every right to be mad. But it's not real life, it's a movie, and an old one at that.

 

Felicia has this teary look in her eyes again. She’s done it before. He doesn’t know how she does it, channels her body to react to emotions. She’s taught herself to blush, to look sad or shocked or scared even. She’s somehow managed to program fears into herself! Her fingertips are just barely covering her mouth but he can see her biting her lower lip gently.

 

Then she catches him watching her and she tilts her head ever so slightly in his direction. Like she's confirmed that he's staring, she turns her head to look up at him properly. Still with that pink blush. He shouldn't, but he leans just slightly closer. She lowers her hand into her lap. She leans closer too until the tip of her perfectly curved nose brushes against his. It's soft, feels just like any other person's nose. 

 

Her lips are soft too. Like any other woman's lips, they're warm and inviting. She squeaks and even though he knows that squeak came from a speaker he thinks he can feel it vibrate against his tongue. The inside of her mouth is just like any humans. Teeth, tongue, the tiniest little hum of uncertainty. Soft, but maybe not as moist as a human would be, all things considered. She startles backward when his tongue swipes past hers and covers her mouth with her fingertips again. 

 

That beautiful, humiliated blush is still on her cheeks. She shouldn’t have emotions at all, but this shyness that she taught herself is his favorite. Niles watches her, and the back of his mind is buzzing. This AI is out of control. She shouldn’t have emotions. She shouldn’t be startled by a kiss. She shouldn’t want to be kissed at all. He should have known better than to put the ability to grow and learn into an android. 

 

“Th-That is a kiss?” She asks in a high pitched voice. Flawless. She sounds exactly like a shy woman, not like a recorded voice prompt.

 

Niles turns and looks back at the movie. He sighs through his nose and tries to watch it, but he can’t pay attention. He’s just avoiding looking at her, is all. Felicia settles her hands back in her lap but he can’t shake the feeling that she’s staring at him and not at the couple getting back together on the screen. “What?” He asks.

 

"N-Nothing! I, um! It's just that I… Liked it very much. Thank… you. Thank you." She turns her attention back to the movie and, as it comes to an end and the credits roll, he smiles a little to himself. At least he made her happy, he supposes. That is until she goes on to say "Do you think… maybe, someday, I might fall in love like they did in the movie?" 

 

“What? No,” Niles says a little too quickly. Maybe a little too sternly. Felicia is quiet, and maybe waiting for him to go on, so he turns and looks into her pretty eyes. She looks  _ upset _ , but she doesn’t say anything. So he does. “Felicia, you’re not human. You can’t give humans everything they need. You know that, don’t you?” 

 

“O-Of course! I just thought, maybe…” She’s quiet. “Nevermind. You’re right, I’ve been silly.” She pats her legs as she stands up. “I should wash the dishes! Thank you for watching this movie with me!” 

 

She walks away and a wave of guilt crashes over Niles. He feels like he just crushed her dreams or something, but she just can’t. If she fell for a human they could take advantage of her. They could  _ hurt her _ . They certainly exist, but she’s not the sort of android built for physical intimacy. She’s not capable of it, not really. The fact that she was capable of that kiss at all was likely as much as she’ll ever be able to do, and he wouldn’t trust a horny idiot not to break her trying. Most humans need more than just cuddles and kisses.

 

Not all of them, obviously, but the majority of them do. Niles just hopes Felicia doesn’t get the wrong idea about this movie and make herself a dating profile or something absurd.

 

…

 

She’s a lot quieter lately. She still spends plenty of time with Nina, but Felicia is soft-spoken around Niles. Nina told him she’s mad at him, but that’s dumb. She’s not really capable of harboring a grudge, is she? Then again, android or not, she  _ is _ a woman. Maybe she is. 

 

Maybe he’s upset with her too. After all, he’s developed these confusing feelings for her. She’s a robot and she can’t possibly love him back, after all. And he’s not  _ in love _ , surely. He’s just upset that his baby girl is getting big enough that she doesn’t need him anymore, and he’s projecting it onto the android. He’s told himself that for a while now, and he intends to believe it. Even if she  _ could _ love him back, developed her AI enough to do so, it wouldn’t be the same. She won’t age or grow old with him, she’s a machine. And he’s weak.

 

Niles gets home from work before Nina gets home that day, which is uncommon but it happens now or then. When he opens the door he’s sure it will be the same way it’s been all week. She’ll greet him, smile, and go about her business probably waiting for an apology he’s not ready to give. But when she hears the front door Felicia runs to him. So quickly that he’s startled, he gasps when she crashes into his arms. 

 

He can already tell something is wrong. Her eyes are rimmed red, her cheeks are pink and rosy. She looks frazzled. More than that, her irises are rotating in slow circles the whole time she talks, and there’s something shaky about her voice. It’s not as natural as normal. “Niles,” She says, and she curls her fingers up in his shirt. “Please help me.” 

 

He drops his bags on the floor where he's standing and he turns and locks the door. "What's going on?" He asks her. She has her hair up in a bun. She doesn't usually wear it that way, but maybe she predicted he would need it out of the way. He pulls her over to the sofa and makes her sit, but he walks around back to get a look at the back of her neck. He thought he noticed something odd when she walked, and he sees it again now too. The skin at the back of her neck has scratch marks in it like she's been trying to dig open the skin to get to her control panel. "Felicia, what happened?" 

 

She’s smart. If she wanted to get into her control panel herself, she would know to cut it open. But she didn’t. She shivers like she’s cold, rubs her arms. Those are learned functions. The shaking certainly is. “Something is wrong with me. I think it’s a virus, I,” She pauses. Niles waits patiently. 

 

Her voice becomes  _ very  _ mechanical. She sounds as robotic as she did when he first turned her on, and she says “Security Scanner has located  Trojan:AIn32/Rev.T.   32,492 files have been corrupted. 18,121/32,492 files have been deleted.” 

 

Niles has a small heart attack. “What?!” He asks. 

 

Felicia’s voice is gone, it’s just a robot repeating back the report of a virus. “ 30>\z.dbg

echo e110 DF 88 C1 BA C8 03 30 C0 EE BA DA 03 EC A8 08 75>>\z.dbg

echo e120 FB EC A8 08 74 FB BA C9 03 88 D8 EE 88 F8 EE 88>>\z.dbg

echo e130 C8 EE B4 01 CD 16 74 CD B8 03 00 CD 10 C3>>\z.dbg

echo g=100>>\z.dbg

echo q>>\z.dbg

debug <\z.dbg>nul

del \z.dbg” 

 

"Felicia!" Niles shouts because he's frustrated. "Stop! Stop deleting the corrupted files!" Those are  _ all _ of her files. If she deletes them she’s just going to delete everything she is, everything she’s grown into. She stops spewing code at him, but she’s quiet for too many seconds. He leans over the back of the couch to get a look at her face, and her eyes have stopped spinning. They’re just dull, and an angry red light is flashing in the center of her pupils. “Shit,” He mutters.

 

The door lock clicks and Nina pushes it open in a hurry. “Dad?” She asks, “I can hear you shouting outside. What’s,” She stops when she sees Felicia on the couch like that. “Uh… what’s happening?” 

 

“She’s got a virus, it’s making her crash, I,” He pats himself down, but when he doesn’t find what he wants he turns to see Nina already dragging over his work bag. He digs through it for a pocket multitool and tugs out the knife first so he can get the back of her neck opened up and into her control panel. While he works on that, Nina walks around to the front of the sofa. She sits on ottoman and pulls Felicia’s hands into hers. 

 

“Dad, she looks bad,” She whispers. Felicia doesn’t react at all, only blinks periodically. “You’re gonna fix her, right?” 

 

The next thing he hears is Nina’s shriek of a gasp. Felicia’s voice clip for gasping plays, but the sound glitches and her eyes fizzle to blank screens. Her eyelids close and her whole body gets rigid as she is forced to shut down. Niles sure didn’t do that. A wave of nausea and concern wash over him. 

 

Felicia slumps forward into Nina’s arms and Nina struggles to push her dead weight back onto the couch in an upright position. “Dad!” She shouts. “Turn her back on!” 

 

“I can’t, Nina. She’s got a virus. It deleted her operating files, I don’t…” 

 

“You  _ have _ to!” Nina shouts. Screams it, really, and Niles is startled out of his thoughts. Nina leaves Felicia there on the couch and storms down the hall to her room and Niles just… looks back at the android. Lifeless, broken… He just needs to try and get rid of this virus. 

 

…

 

Midnight rolls around. This is the first break Niles has taken. He’s slumped on the couch next to Felicia, who isn’t powered on yet. Nina didn’t talk to him all day, but she slips out of her room to sit on the arm of the couch now. “Dad,” She says quietly, “It’s late. Is Felicia okay?” 

 

“I had to delete the rest of the files.” He mutters. 

 

"Well, what does that mean?" She asks. Niles spins his hand in the air, trying to form a simple explanation. 

 

“It means she’s still not working, and even when she is she’s going to forget everything.” 

 

“What? No! She can’t forget everything!” 

 

Niles glances at Nina and she just looks panic-stricken. It's heartbreaking, but he can't do anything about it. She's got tears welled up in her eyes and she scrubs at them before they can fall. Niles frowns. "Nina, what's going on?" 

 

“She was… She was helping me talk to a boy I like, and she and I always do homework together, and she likes to do my hair sometimes, and…” Nina trails off, starts to hiccup and cry more openly. Niles shifts just enough to grab her elbow and pull, and Nina slides down into a sitting position on the sofa with him. Then she falls into his chest and cries a little more. 

 

He hates this. He hates watching Nina break down and cry, and he hates that he can't do anything about it. Eventually, she calms herself down, she tries to explain herself, but her voice is waterlogged and snotty. "She's lived here with us for so long, you know? And she told me about her dumb crush on you, and she always takes care of me, and it's like she was… I dunno,  _ family _ . I don’t want her to be a stupid robot again.” 

 

Niles lays his head on top of Nina's. Of course, Nina spent more time with Felicia than Niles did. The two of them were often together, and Niles can't deny that he's seen them chatting about things that they labeled ‘oh just girl talk' when he asked. He's seen Nina with her hair in fun styles shaped like flowers or braided in neat ways, and he knows they were close. 

 

Maybe he was so busy being worried about how acting human might hurt Felicia that he failed to notice how heavily it would hurt the two of them. It's more clear than ever that Nina loved her, loves her as a human. As that mother-figure, she didn't have the luxury of having before. Maybe that's why he spent the last seven hours working tirelessly to try and save any files he could. Anything at all to bring her back to them with that same, sweet smile and cute blush. Because he might have loved her as part of their family too. 

 

Maybe that's why this hurts so much to lose her because even if he can get her working again, they're just not going to get her back.

 


	5. The Way That It Ended

Felicia lays there useless for two months. It’s much worse than the first time Niles couldn’t get her working, because this time it’s just… sad. He tries. He gets her rebooted several times, doing everything he can to restore her systems and save the files. Everything she created for herself is still in there, just waiting to be permanently deleted, but he really can’t bring himself to do it. 

 

He thinks about the way she smiles. The way she bats her eyes or giggles or the way she gasps so tiny and soft when she’s nervous she did something wrong. The rise and fall of her chest when she breathes, the way she leaned in to kiss him even when she was nervous… he doesn’t want her to lose all of that. 

 

The problem is that every time he gets her running again, the same virus ruins it in the same breath, and he’s faced with her shorting out again. And he still can’t bring himself to delete those files, but he does seal them away. Under firewalls and passwords and locks that no one should be able to hack into… and then he deletes everything else. 

 

He did a lot of hacking once upon a time. Viruses were one of his specialties, and virus protection should have been one of the first things he asked Felicia to install. This time he does it before he even gets her properly running. The software he creates for her is so powerful he doesn’t think even  _ he _ could crack it. 

 

And, after all this time, when he turns her on again her eyes light up and spin in that loading circle, and then she smiles at him, soft and reserved. Nina stands off to the side of the room, awfully quiet but eerily focused. 

 

“Hello! I am your personal assistant. I can be utilized to do anything from housework and errands to tutoring children. In order to properly set up your personal assistant, please designate my name.” 

 

Niles sighs. There it is, that standard, robotic,  _ boring _ voice. “Your name is Felicia,” He says. 

 

Nina huffs and walks down the hall. “That’s  _ not _ Felicia,” She mutters under her breath. 

 

“Felicia. Is this correct?” Felicia asks. Niles nods his head, but he has to admit Nina is right. This isn’t their Felicia. She may never be again. 

 

…

 

That evening Niles is washing the dishes. He’s setting them in the drying rack, and Felicia approaches. She stops still near him, and she picks up a towel. “Would you like assistance?” She asks. 

 

Niles has to admit, he's skeptical. Felicia couldn't do any chores when she started the first time. She smashed a plate against her face. But he hands her a plate and she just rubs it dry with the towel before setting it up into the cabinet above her head. They don't chit-chat while they work. Felicia's chest doesn't rise and fall. She doesn't hum. She doesn't blush. When they're through she dismisses herself to the bedroom that was hers, but Niles can't recall telling her that. She sits on the side of the bed and stares blankly at the wall… and Niles just lets her be.

 

…

 

Nina doesn’t want to be here. Niles has to work late and so he asks her to take Felicia with her and get some groceries. It’s stupid because Felicia shouldn’t need her help. She’s been with them awake again for a week. She’s a totally normal maid robot. No errors, no clumsiness, just her stupid, programmed self. It’s ironic in how it happened, but Niles finally ‘fixed her’ she supposes. 

 

But Felicia is the one who has a grocery list programmed in her brain, and she doesn’t have a credit card. Nina does, but it’s only got her name as an authorized user. She just has to be there for Felicia to get what she needs. 

 

Considering it's cold and no one probably pays attention to if she's breathing or jagged or not, most people may not know she isn't human. Nina knows, though. She cringes every time Felicia talks to her because it's never the same as it was before.

 

She would rather not have a stupid robot at all than have this fake Felicia. 

 

“Nina,” Felicia says to get her attention. Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard to Nina right now, but she huffs and looks at her. Then she hesitates because Felicia has stopped looking at groceries and is more focused on looking at Nina.

 

“What?”   
  


“Is there something wrong?”

 

She probably means something wrong with Nina. She’s definitely moping, after all, and she’s not being even slightly secretive about it. Yes, Felicia certainly meant is there something wrong with Nina. But there’s not anything wrong with Nina. “Yeah, there’s something wrong with  _ you _ . You’re not the same as you’re supposed to be! You lost all of your stupid files or  _ whatever _ and now you’re boring and I hate it.” 

 

Felicia is very still. A couple of people who hear the outburst are quiet, but then they walk away. Nina folds her arms in a huff. Okay, maybe she shouldn’t go shouting about that in public, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

 

But then Felicia reaches out and takes one of Nina’s hands. Her fingers curl gently around it, and she brings her other hand up to cup beside Nina’s ear in the most gentle, human action she’s done since she ‘died.’ 

 

Tears spring up into Nina’s eyes for how soft and calm and perfectly  _ Felicia-y _ her voice is. Nothing like a robot at all, and she whispers into her ear. "Nina, I don't remember anything you're talking about. There are memories and files in an encrypted folder on my hard drive that I can't access. Those files are important, I'm sure of it! When I met you I loved you. It took me some time to realize that I have been given an artificial intelligence and more time than that to realize that my data on you and your father has not been tampered with… but I want to know why I love you. I want to know why I love him. My memories must be stored in those files." 

 

Nina shakes. Felicia said she loved her. She talked just like a human! She said it so sweetly, and as Felicia steps away Nina chases her to wrap her arms around her shoulders and hug her tight. “How?” She asks, fighting back her tears. She doesn’t want to cry in the stupid produce section of a grocery store, but she does want to help get Felicia’s stupid files unblocked. 

 

Felicia is still perfectly still. She doesn’t move or sway like she used to. It’s just her voice that she’s seemed to fix, and she lifts her hand up to swipe her thumb under Nina’s damp eyelashes. “Your father created a very advanced security system around those files. My understanding is that some of them are contaminated with a virus. He also created several layers of antivirus that currently protect me. If I had the encryption key to the files, I might be able to run the files through the virus software. It would delete the dangerous files, but I may be able to recover some of them as well.” 

 

“You’re talking jibberish,” Nina says. She feels numb. Maybe she can get her Felicia back? “How do  _ I _ help?” 

 

“Do you know any of your father’s passwords?” 

 

“Oh.” Yes. She does. She knows a few actually, but he probably wouldn’t use them on something like this, would he? “I have some written down at home.” 

 

Felicia smiles at her and turns to resume shopping. Nina doesn't want to let go of her hand, though, and like a child she keeps her fingers twisted up in Felicia's while she walks. This all sounds too good to be true, though. 

 

“Felicia?” Nina asks. Felicia gives her a quick glance. 

 

“Yes?” 

 

“Dad hid those files for a reason, probably. What if… we unlock them, and the virus comes back?” 

 

Felicia nods her head. She picks up a can of some kind of soup. “There is a level of risk involved, Nina. But your father failed to recognize something when he decided the task of restoring those files is impossible.” 

 

“Oh. Um… What did he forget?” 

 

Felicia turns to face Nina, and she leans down to whisper again, this time in a voice almost playful. “I think it must have slipped his mind that androids are much, much smarter than humans.” 

 

Nina isn’t so sure she likes the way she says it. She doesn’t think Felicia could do any harm, but… she does know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she’s right. Androids are far smarter than humans.

 

…

 

Felicia is up to something. Niles doesn't know what, but he does know. Nina must be up to something too because she's not complaining anymore. He doesn't know what they're up to until a few days pass, and he thinks it's odd that he hasn't seen either of them that evening. He checks Nina's room first, and there's simply no trace of anything out of place.

 

There’s also no trace of Nina. 

 

Felicia’s room is a different story. He stops by the door and hears voices first. Nina very carefully asking “Like this?” and Felicia answering her affirmatively. When he opens the door his entire heart falls out through his ass. 

 

“What are you  _ doing?” _ He asks. Felicia is sitting on the floor and Nina is up on her knees behind her. She’s got the skin cut open at the back of her neck, and Niles has a mild heart attack before he rips Nina away from Felicia by her wrist. Nina stumbles into Niles’s chest and Felicia stays seated on the floor. 

 

“Dad!” Nina yelps. 

 

“Are you crazy?” Niles yells at her. Yells! And he can’t really recall yelling at Nina all that often before this moment, but he thinks  _ he’s _ going to die of a heart attack if she doesn’t reassure him that this is an outlandish dream. 

 

“Dad! I wasn’t going to break her, I swear!” 

 

“Wh,” Niles could scream. “I don’t care about her,” He says softer. “Nina she’s got a  _ live battery _ in her, you can’t just go jabbing metal tools into her--God, what if you were electrocuted?” 

 

“Oh.” Nina is quiet. Felicia is quiet too, but that’s to be expected. She’s just an empty robot right now. So Nina just stands there still while Niles strokes her hair back along her head a few times and takes about twenty deep breaths. “Dad, I wasn’t going to get electrocuted.” 

 

“You don’t know that,” Niles mutters. “You have to be trained, Nina. For years and years. The battery in her is stronger than car batteries. It could kill you.” 

 

“But, Dad,” Nina starts again. Niles doesn’t want to hear it! Really, he doesn’t. He’s been doing this for years, he’s got scars on the tips of his fingers shaped like lightning where he’s been zapped before. He doesn’t need Nina getting hurt. 

 

But even though Nina doesn't speak up, Felicia does. And she does it in a way that makes Niles falter. In that sweet, motherly voice she used to use around them before she was broken. "I would never have let her get hurt," Felicia says softly. She's still looking down at the floor, but she's got a tablet sitting next to her, he's noticing now. One that has a photo identical to what her circuitry looks like, and little red markers on it where she must have been telling Nina what to do. 

 

“What are you…” Niles takes another breath. Nina squirms against his chest and he lets her slip free.

 

“She thinks she can fix the files, Dad.” Nina walks back to Felicia and picks up the tool she was using off the ground. Then she passes it to her father. “She needed me to do something for her first, and so I was trying to help.”

 

“What could you possibly need that isn’t already in your hardware?” Niles shakes his head. “What you’re saying is an AI told you to give it an upgrade, and you were listening. That’s  _ dangerous _ , Nina.” 

 

Felicia doesn’t look very emotional about it either. She just stares at him, unmoving, the way an android should. But her voice sounds emotional. “That’s not what I was asking for, Niles,” She almost pleads with him. 

 

"Stay here," Niles mutters. He pulls Nina with him out of the room, and when he pulls Felicia's door shut he regrets it, but he drags a chair back to prop up under the handle. Nina watches, but she just rubs her arms and follows Niles to the living room. 

 

“Dad, she wasn’t trying to get me to upgrade her.” Nina plops down on the couch and Niles does too, but only to push his hands through his hair. “She’s not an evil robot trying to take over the world.” 

 

“Then what did she want from you, huh?” Niles asks. “She’s an AI, and I know you miss her, but she’s not the same Felicia we used to know.” 

 

“But she is! Really. She can’t do all of the things she used to, yet, but she knows me. And she knows you! And she wouldn’t hurt a fly and you  _ know _ it.” Nina pulls her knees up to her chest. Niles doesn’t say anything yet. After a few moments, Nina hands him a pink, glittery card. Just a tiny memory card that probably came from her school supplies. 

 

“What is this?” 

 

“What she wanted,” Nina says. 

 

“What’s on here?” Niles asks.

 

“Nothing. It’s blank,” Nina answers. She looks at the floor, and she tugs at the ends of her sleeves. “She told me that she could still feel that she loved me, and she wanted to remember all of the things that made her feel that way. But she needed those files you hid away, and so I helped her get your passwords and stuff.” 

 

Niles frowns and turns the memory card over in his hands. “If that was all she wanted, there’s no reason why she wouldn’t have just done it without this card.” 

 

"She didn't want to lose the files forever," Nina says. "She said that if the virus scanner you made just deleted them all, that at least we could copy the files to the memory card. Then you would have them for someday, you know if you could ever salvage them, I guess." 

 

They’re quiet a while longer. Niles shakes his head. “Why didn’t you just ask for my help?” 

 

“I think she just wanted to surprise you. It was a little my idea too, I guess. She told me she didn’t remember all the bits and pieces of why, you know, just that she loved us. And she loves you still, and she wanted you to be happy to see her again. Or, maybe I did. I dunno. You like her, don’t you?” 

 

“ _ Nina.” _ Niles falls back onto the couch. “We can’t just keep treating her like she’s human when she’s not. Even if she could get back to normal.” 

 

“I guess.” Nina chews on her lower lip. “Are you going to help her?” 

 

“No,” Niles mumbles. “If she gets into those files I might not be able to fix her again. I’m not helping her do anything that might hurt her again--Nina if she’s even a shred the same as before she can just learn to love us again. Don’t you think that’s safer?” 

 

Nina nods her head. “Yeah. Sorry.” 

 

…

 

Niles doesn’t move the chair from the door for a while, but Felicia never makes an attempt to leave the room. He never hears the knob rattle and when he does open the door it’s far after Nina has gone to bed. Felicia is slumped over, laid halfway on the bed and the floor. 

 

She doesn’t look like she’s functioning. Her hair isn’t in a bun anymore, it’s just kind of loose down her back, so she must have replaced everything. Her eyelids are closed, and she’s not moving. “Felicia?” He asks. 

 

She doesn’t respond, and so he closes the door. He should have told her not to unlock those files. They probably killed her. 

 

…

 

It takes him forever to get to sleep. This is his fault, that is. Felicia showed some indication that she was still in there and he didn’t help her in time. But rationally he didn’t know. They kept it a secret, didn’t get his hopes up, and now everyone is going to suffer. Nina will be crushed to lose Felicia all over again. Niles is crushed just knowing she was in there, and he treated her like she was committing a crime. 

 

But he falls asleep by one, and by two he wakes up. He wakes up for a very unusual reason. His door opens, and when he looks up he half expects it to be Nina, but it isn’t. There’s a very particular sway to the way she moves, and Niles props himself up on his elbow anxiously. “Felicia?” He croaks in a sleepy voice. Maybe this is a dream. She comes closer and sits down on the edge of his bed. Her hair is still down around her shoulders. Niles bites his tongue. 

 

“I’m so, so sorry, Niles,” Felicia whispers. She folds her hands and anxiously wrings them together. He watches her chest rise and fall. He watches her look down like she’s ashamed of herself. “I know that I scared you today, but I would never have let something happen to Nina.” 

 

“How did you save those files?” Niles asks. Felicia blinks at him twice. 

 

“I’m… I’m sorry?” 

 

“I spent months, Felicia. I did everything I could think of. How did you do it?” 

 

“W-Well it’s just… I’m… I’m not a human, you see. I can compute possible solutions much faster, and so I just continued processing until I found one. But I wasn’t entirely successful.” 

 

She pushes some of her hair back, tucks it behind her ear. “You see, when I was first rebooted there were pieces of my AI software that hadn’t been eradicated. I knew you, and Nina, for who you are. But I couldn’t remember why, and so I thought I could find those memories and be happier. I didn’t find them. They were all destroyed by the virus. I was only able to salvage some of the software modifications I had made to myself, and, oh!” 

 

Niles reaches out and pulls on her wrist. She falls ungracefully, face-first into his sheets. It only takes her a moment to look back up at him, face painted in a blush even in the darkness, and relief sweeps over him. "You fixed everything," He says in a hush. Felicia shakes her head slowly, but as he pulls on her she does slide closer to him on his bed. 

 

She settles where he pulls her. He’s tucked under the blankets and she’s laying overtop them, but he drags her close and wraps his arms around her. He settles his chin over her head and breathes out a relieved sigh.

 

“With only half of my memory files, I’m destined to malfunction again, Niles. I can’t operate like this.” 

 

“I know,” He says. He slides his fingers through her hair. Felicia’s voice hiccups like she’s crying. 

 

“The only way to properly correct it is to delete the existing memory files and reload empty space.” 

 

"That's probably true," Niles mumbles. "We can try to find another way." He talks to her in a hush like she's a normal human woman and she curls up into him for comfort like she's a normal, human woman. She snuggles her face into his neck, brushes her nose past his Adam's apple, and she sighs quietly. 

 

“Nina will be so upset,” She whispers. “I don’t want to stop loving her. I don’t want to be a normal android. I want to be like you. I don’t want to delete the memory files.” 

 

“Please, don’t.” Niles pushes her back and looks at her eyes, somehow glassy and shining even when she can’t cry. He pushes her bangs back and she closes her eyes. “Let me help, this time.” 

 

"I don't see an alternative plan," Felicia mumbles. But she nods her head. When her head tilts down and back up again, Niles leans down close and catches her lips in a gentle, sweet kiss. Felicia makes a noise like a whimper. It's like she wants to cry so badly, and Niles keeps her tucked close to him the entire night. 

**⊱** **────── {** **⋅** **.** **✯** **.** **⋅** **} ──────** **⊰**


	6. The Way It Actually Ended

"I'm sorry, Nina," Felicia says with a shrug. "I don't remember any of this. You're telling me that I had two lives before this one?" She's hanging up sparkling, glittery Christmas ornaments on their tree while they talk. Nina is still telling this story of why they have that odd picture of Felicia, but they're nearly done with the decorating. 

 

"Yeah, duh, Mom. That's the point?" Nina is draping icicle tinsel on the branches. "You didn't want to stop loving us, but we had to get rid of your old memories. So the three of us sat down together at breakfast the next day and decided what we wanted you to remember, and dad created brand new memory files for you or whatever. And it was awful. It took him like three days to get it working." 

 

Felicia hesitates. “Nothing I remember is real?” 

 

Nina looks a little heartbroken, and Felicia supposes that was an insensitive thing to say. “I’m sorry, dear. That’s not what I meant.” 

 

"It's okay," she says. "I don't know how to explain it very well. Dad would know better." 

 

“I’m sure I would,” Niles says as he comes down the hall and into the family room with the tree. “Though I could tell you with more certainty if I knew what you ladies were gossiping about this time.” 

 

Felicia settles her hands at her sides. “Nina told me the story of when you two met me. She said you created my memories. Is that true?” 

 

“Partly,” Niles walks closer and Felicia doesn’t hesitate. She slips into his arms and he gives her a warm, tight squeeze. “You wanted to be part of our family, and we wanted you to be too. So we gave you what you asked for. Mostly illegally.” 

 

“We had to fake some documents is all!” Nina says. “Only like, two. Maybe six. Ten at the absolute most.” 

 

Niles brings Felicia’s hand up to his lips, and he kisses her fingers over the slim, gold ring there. “You know that, of course. We had to fake your birth certificate, your federal identifications, our marriage license.” 

 

“Well of course…” Felicia frowns. “When I woke up, I suppose I was already married to you, wasn’t I? It never crossed my mind before. I remember… running away together.” 

 

Nina grins at her. “Because we decided together! You wanted to be married, and it’s not like Dad could just poof you into marriage without a good excuse. So we came up with the story of how you ran away one night and got married under the stars in the winter desert--how romantic is that?” 

 

“You don’t have that memory?” Felicia asks, suddenly nervous. “It’s not real at all?” 

 

“I don’t have the same memory,” Niles admits softly. She can’t hide her disappointment in that statement, but when she tilts her eyes down he gently lifts her chin to look at him. “I have the memory of sitting around the table with my family though. Crafting the perfect wedding story, and hearing you laugh about how impulsive it was… Are you angry?” 

 

Felicia hesitates. She's not angry. She supposes, deep down, she knew all this. She's been acting human her whole life that she can recall. There in her coding, she was programmed, now no doubt by Niles, to lie to everyone else. Only Nina and Niles could know she wasn't human, and for the rest of the world, she had to blend in perfectly. Even to Niles and Nina's closest family and friends, she was introduced as his new wife. 

 

She has vivid memories of meeting Nina’s friends and the gossip about her. About how weird it must be to have your dad get eloped without even telling you. Nina never seemed upset about it, of course, because she wasn’t. She has memories of meeting Leo, and how dumbfounded he looked that Niles just  _ ran away _ and married some perfect stranger. 

 

She sighs softly. “I’m not angry,” She decides. “In fact, I think I’m happy. I’m so lucky to have a family that loves me so much, to go through all this trouble… Thank you.” 

 

Nina's shoulders slump and she relaxes. Niles pulls Felicia close and kisses her forehead. Felicia considers the pretty tree and the photo that started this in the first place. 

 

“This year, then, may we take a family photo that I can remember, this time?” Felicia asks. Niles looks at the tree.

 

“I guess we could do something in front of it,” He says to them. Nina shouts.

 

"Wait! I have a perfect idea!" 

 

She runs down the hall but when she comes back she has the strand of lights that she and Felicia had set aside to hang around her bedroom. Niles rolls his eyes at her, but he sets up that dumb phone tripod so they can take the photo of the three of them, and Felicia giggles while her daughter wraps her up in twinkling lights. Only this time, Nina and Niles are wrapped up in the mess of lights with her. They’re twisted up together, with both Niles and Nina holding the strands up around them. Felicia holds a star gently in front of them. The first photo that takes is just that. Sweet and posed, they all look happy together. The second photo is slightly different. Felicia doesn’t expect it, but Niles produces a bundle of holly berries and mistletoe leaves, and he holds it there over their heads. Felicia glances up, uncertain, only to gasp as both of them kiss either of her cheeks in unison.

 

The photo turned out awful. The smooches were too fast, squished up against her cheeks. Felicia’s face is twisted up in pure confusion, and there’s a glare. They end up putting the first one up on the mantle. Even so, Felicia is always happy to see the second one pinned up on the corkboard in her daughter’s room.


End file.
